Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs Akron Zips Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs Akron Zips

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH

TV: ESPN+

James A. Rhodes Arena is the location where the Akron Zips (7-3) will compete against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (5-7) on Thursday.

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs faced Appalachian State and went home with a loss by a final score of 80-59 in their last contest. Gardner-Webb finished the game having earned a 35.0% FG percentage (21 of 60) and made 6 out of their 24 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs buried 11 of their 17 shots for a percentage of 64.7%. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned 39 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 6 assists for the matchup while forcing 4 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In regard to defending, Gardner-Webb allowed their opponent to shoot 50.7% from the floor on 34 of 67 shooting. Appalachian State distributed 19 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. On top of that, Appalachian State snagged 35 boards (7 offensive, 28 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Appalachian State finished the game shooting 35.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 6 of 17 attempts. They also knocked down 6 of 23 tries from 3-point land. With respect to fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 14 while Appalachian State recorded 11 fouls.

Caleb Robinson is one guy who was a factor for this contest. He ended up going 45.5% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He saw the court for 30 mins and also snagged 8 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 18 points on 5 out of 11 shooting.

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Gardner-Webb heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 5-7 on the year. They are averaging 72.5 points per contest (243rd in D-1) while hitting 41.1% from the field. The Bulldogs are connecting on 29.0% on three-point attempts (79 of 272) and 65.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Gardner-Webb is pulling in 41.4 boards per game and has earned 140 assists on the season, which has them ranked 232nd in D-1 in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.5 personal fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 12.0 turnovers every game while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They rank 173rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 136 relinquished on the season. The Bulldogs are giving up a FG percentage of 42.0% (297 of 707) and they surrender 36.8 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are conceding 30.4% on shots from distance and they are 172nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (70.3).

The last time they took the court, the Akron Zips took home the win by a final score of 88-45 when they played Miami-Hamilton. The Zips were able to corral 23 defensive boards and 21 offensive boards totaling 44 in the game. They also gave up possession 9 times, while recording 10 steals for the matchup. Miami-Hamilton was called for 16 fouls in the matchup which got the Zips to the charity stripe for a total of 17 shots. They were able to make 14 of them for a percentage of 82.4%. When talking about 3-point shots, Akron made 14 out of 42 attempts (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Zips ended up shooting 30 out of 67 from the field which had them at 44.8%. The Zips allowed Miami-Hamilton to bury 19 of their 48 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 39.6% for the matchup. They shot 28.6% from three-point range by going 6 of 21 and ended up going 1 of 4 at the free throw line (25.0%). Concerning rebounding, Akron allowed Miami-Hamilton to collect 18 in all (6 on the offensive side).

Enrique Freeman was important for the Zips in this contest. He had 15 points in his 27 mins on the court and tallied 2 dimes for the matchup. He buried 7 out of 10 for this game for a field goal rate of 70.0%, and totaled 17 rebounds.

Akron has a win-loss mark of 7-3 this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Zips are hitting on 47.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 92nd in college hoops. Akron has accumulated 767 pts on the year (76.7 per game) and they collect 36.6 boards per game. They are earning an assist 16.0 times per game (66th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 13.5 times per contest. The Zips commit 15.3 fouls per contest and they hit 72.2% from the free throw line.

The Akron defense gives up 33.0% on three-point shots (64 of 194) and their opponents are connecting on 61.2% of their foul shots. They have allowed 13.6 assists and 29.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 252nd and 14th in those categories. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 43rd in Division 1 in points allowed per contest with 64.5. They are able to force 13.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the floor (254th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Akron

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